Exago

Exago - Think strategically to get four in a row and win.

The object of Exago is straightforward: Be the first player to place four tiles of your color in a straight line on the board. As you are placing your tiles to win, you must also be aware of what your opponent is doing and block him from doing the same. While the rules are simple, the play will be more complicated.

The game board comes in two pieces and easily snaps together for play and unsnaps for storage. The hexagonal pieces are brightly colored, transparent plastic and come in six colors: red, green, blue, yellow, purple and orange. The shapes on the board are grooved so the tiles stay in place after play. To easily pick up a tile off the board, simply push down on any edge and the opposite edge will pop up.

Object:
Be the first to place four of your hexagonal tiles in a straight line to win.

Set up:
Snap the board together and place it between the players. Each player chooses a color and takes six tiles of that color. If only two people are playing, each player gets 12 tiles of his color. 

Play:
The first player will place one tile in the very center of the board (that space is marked "start"). The next player will place one tile on the board and it must touch at least one side of the first tile that was played. Players take turns placing one tile at a time, always making sure that their tile touches at least one side of one other tile already on the board. Work to get four of your tiles in a straight line in any direction while blocking your opponent from doing it first.

If players have played all their tiles with no winner, the players will then take turns picking up one of their tiles that have already been played and moving it to another location on the board (always making sure it touches at least one side of one tile already on the board). If when a player picks up and moves a tile he leaves any tiles disconnected from the group (no other tiles touching them), the disconnected tiles will be returned to their owner(s) and then re-played during future turns. Play until someone gets four tiles in a row and wins the game.

Try this:

• Sort the colored tiles into piles by color be starting the game. Hold several in-hand and bring them one at a time to the fingertips to sort and drop.
• Stack the tiles for fun. How many can you stack before the tower topples?
• Play to get three or five in a row.
• Hold two or three tiles in your hand as you play. Push them to the fingertips one at a time to play.
• Skip the game. Use the tiles to make a symmetrical design on the board. 
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, problem solving, planning ahead, logic, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: Game base, 48 hexagonal tiles
 
If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.

Avocado Smash

Avocado Smash - Have a smashing good time

 

 

Ripe 'n ready Avocado Smash is the most fun you'll have with an avocado. The plastic avocado storage box is a great way to create interest and holds the games only pieces - 70 avocado-themed cards. The cards are slightly textured, measure approximately 2 1/8" x 2 7/8" inches and fall into the following four categories: 60 Avo-number cards (numbered 1 through 15), 4 Change Direction cards, 4 Smash! cards and 2 Guacamole cards. Let's play!

Object:

Be the first player to get rid of all your cards.

Set up:

Shuffle the cards and deal them face-down and evenly between all players.

Play:

The first player takes his top card and places it face-up in the middle of the table. The next player turns his top card face up on top of that. Players take turns in this manner throughout the game. As each player lays a card he must count. The first card is 1, the second player counts his card as two, the third player, three, and so on. Players count to 15 and then start over with 1. As the cards are being played there are several times when all players must slap/smash the card pile. The last person to slap has to take all the cards and put them under his pile, thus taking it longer for him to go out. Here are the times you will smash the pile:

• When the number on the card matches the number that is spoken out loud.
• When someone plays a Smash! card.
• When a card that is played has the same number of avocados as the card right below it on the pile.

Additional rules are as follows:

• A Change Direction card is played - The direction of play is reversed. You must also start counting down from where you were. Counting up does not begin again until someone plays another Change Direction card, setting the game back into a clockwise direction.
• A Guacamole card is played - All players must yell Guacamole! The last player to respond has to take the pile of cards. However, if someone mistakenly smashes the cards on this turn, THEY get the pile instead.

Keep playing until someone is out of cards. They must then survive the next Smash! to be declared the winner. If on this last smash they are last to smash, they must take the pile and the game continues until someone runs out of cards and survives their last smash.

Try this:

• Practice shuffling and dealing cards.
• Ask the individual dealing the cards to hold the pile in his non-dominant hand while pushing the top card off with the thumb. Pick each one up from there with the dominant hand to deal.
• Take out the Change Direction cards if reversing is too difficult to understand, or change direction but continue counting up if players are not able to count backwards.
• Play to create interest before trying avocados or guacamole for the first time. 
• Play to create interest before making guacamole, taking the natural opportunity to cut, smash, mix, etc. Serve with hard, crunchy tortilla chips.
• Work on visual discrimination, bilateral coordination, manual dexterity, shuffling and dealing cards, in-hand manipulation, executive functioning skills, reaction speed, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the avocado: 70 game cards